1. Technical Field:
This invention relates to devices for insufflating gas into a mass of molten metal wherein the insufflating device is positioned in the vessel upwardly from the exterior of the bottom or wall of the vessel rather than being positioned downwardly in the vessel as heretofore customary.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior structures have generally employed permeable plugs or solid plugs and spaced jackets thereabout positioned in apertured pocket blocks. Frusto-conical apertures in the pocket blocks received the permeable frusto-conical plugs or solid frusto-conical plug and jacket combinations, all of the prior art devices being so formed that replacement of the pocket block and the permeable or solid plug and jacket assemblies were made from the interior of the vessel necessitating a lengthy and complicated procedure.
Typical prior art devices may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,396,179 to LaBate, 4,383,520 to LaBate, 4,538,795 to Labate, 4,632,367 to LaBate, 4,687,184 to LaBate, et al. and 4,725,047 to LaBate.
The present invention comprises an improvement with respect to the devices disclosed in my above-mentioned U.S. Patents. The present invention enables the relatively rapid and easy initial placing of a gas introducing device in a hot metal vessel from the exterior of the vessel by way of an opening in the bottom wall of the vessel which eliminates the heretofore believed necessary tearing out the refractory safety lining and working lining necessary in molten metal vessels such as ladles, furnaces, tundishes or the like. The down time of a ladle, furnace or tundish is thus considerably reduced at a substantial cost savings as eroded gas introducing devices are readily and quickly replaced from the exterior of the vessel.